September 28, 2024

Skylight Webzine

Online since 2000

Your 33 Black Angels announce ‘Eternities I’ album, preview first single ‘Hott Funn’

Your 33 Black Angels (a.k.a. Y33BA) has announced their new album ‘Eternities I’, which is their seventh long-play to date, to be released in early May. Ahead of that, they are previewing the lead track ‘Hott Funn’.

Recorded over three years and more than 60 studio days with endless mixes in the making, ‘Eternities I’ is 13 tracks that are built to stand as the culmination of Y33BA’s labors.

Based out of New York City, Y33BA is a long-running noisepop freakshow. This genre-defying project has its own stamp of dark pop, electro-paisley new wave space rock, with a dose of crunk bass and rhythm. They produce elegant vibrant melodies with strange, novel sounds. This is the New Age underground for the End Times.

How does a group that has danced around sensibilities and sounds refresh the template?  More cutting-edge instruments and more risky, avant garde pop songs than ever.  Imagine Madchester, and imagine dreampop meets Aphex Twin. Imagine the bastard child of Arthur Russell, Rain Parade and Rza and add original 21st century sound design and guitar webs.

This is a radical, angry, watermark record. Designed to embrace and rattle against the times. Combining haute popcraft with touches of the undercurrents of our lives–acid house, Paisley Underground, synth wave, field recordings, minimal electronica and epic RAWK.

As well, the Y33BA wordsmiths have always been equal part poetry fans as lyricists, so the Poesia Concreta of Augusto de Campos or Guillaume Apollonaire may have as much an influence as wonderful lyricists like Neil Hannon, Bjork or Serge Gainsbourg. Breaking rhythms and broken meter match the polarized sounds from start to finish.

Formed in 2003, Y33BA debuted with the album ‘Lonely Street’ in 2007, which was a vinyl-only limited edition. Once the initial pressings sold out, Y33BA released the album on CD and digitally. They followed up with ‘Tales of my Pop-Rock Love Life’ (2008), ‘Pagan Princess’(2009), ‘Songs from the Near Bleak Future’(Optical Sounds, 2010), ‘Moon and Morning Star’ ( Optical Sounds, 2012) and ‘Glamour’ (2015).

In that time, they have played over 500 shows across Europe and North America, sharing the stage with some rather fine acts during recent tours.  The Monochrome Set selected Y33BA as direct support act for its first New York City show in 30 years. La Femme, The Veldt and Dyr Faser have toured or shared many nights with the group.  The band has also played with King Tuff, Blitzen Trapper, Suuns, Six Organs of Admittance, Blonde Elvis, B-17 and We Melt Chocolate.

The video for ‘Hott Funn’ was made by Richie of Vinyl Villains. “Richie is a mysterious Bushwick programmer that doesn’t leave his loft til the light has disappeared and day has turned to dark.  He is part vampire, part design whiz.  He has invented an automated animation program that turns songs into aliens, furry creatures, whatever the sound seems to suggest.  Obviously, Your 33 Black Angels has a very alien sound, but he might have horses singing to Neil Young, vegan cupcakes singing Fiona Apple, dolphins singing Supergrass, etc.  Richie is so ineffable and distant, we don’t even know his last name.  All we know is he commands legions of aliens, faeries and elves.  Literally that’s what he does!”

Y33BA ‘Eternities I’ is slated for release on May 7 and will be available across digital stores and streaming platforms. It can also be pre-ordered via BandcampThe band’s album release show will take place on May 10 at Alphaville in Brooklyn.

CREDITS  
Recorded at Big Coin Studio, New York (2016-18) and Big Mazel, L.A. (2017)
Recorded by Dan Rosato
Produced by Dan Rosato and Josh Westfal
Dan Rosato (vocal, guitar, synth, percussion)
Josh Westfal (vocal, guitar, synth, percussion)
Daniel Bombach (bass)
D.A. Stern (drums)

Image credit: Helena Wolfenson
Band info:
Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud | Spotify | iTunes